On Talking and Hearing

Some people cannot escape being spellbound by smooth talks. Among the educated the opportunity to talk big ideas lends enthusiasm for more of such talks. Among the less educated, there is a common tendency of passing time with the gossips of what they would or could do in case of more education and with what infirmities the more educated live in this world.

Great talkers always are in the look out for patient listeners. It is bad not to find audience for the big ideas. You are lucky if you happen to be their audience, and learn what they have seen or done. And it is unfortunate that you have some other work to do and the talk is too long for you to have patience, and to put off the more important mission. Leaving the place when the great man is speaking, you prove yourself indecent despite your decency of excusing yourself for this temporarily unceremonious act. This is why most of the speech halls are relatively full notwithstanding the unspeakable boredom majority of the audience display in their yawns and dozes.

However strict and orthodox your boss is, he may not mind you avoiding your duty if you happen to be his devoted audience in the meeting hall. One or two words of “Your speech was very inspiring, Sir” at the end puts you in a safe ground. The immediate expectation of a talker is that the audience appreciate the entire talk. Only big hearts are ready to accept criticisms though many utter "any comments?" for formality. However, some talkers do not wait to utter it or to hear the comments when they utter it. Not listening to the audience is more satisfactory. If they show any faults in what you so zealously spoke for hours, all the pleasure of the sense of being important goes. Then you, the great talker, leave the place an unhappy fellow.

The skill of spellbinding talks is an inborn reward to some people. Some acquire it through practice, and they practice it under certain obligations. You are bound to be a talker if your job involves public relations. You are bound to talk if you are a politician. Or, to simplify, you must talk if you are a public personality. In this case keeping away from talking keeps you away from the contact of people. It will eventually lead to the record of inadequate performance. But if your job and position demand less talking, be on guard. More talking may lead to branding yourself a gossip, a bore, or a talk-more-but-do-less fellow. Alternatively, your job may involve more listening than telling. So, despite the urge to talk, restrict yourself to hearing.

There is advantage in hearing the big people. Lend decent nods at points you don’t necessarily entertain, and they will get impetus to more talks. Some scholars churn philosophies out of their talks to you. It is not fully correct to say that good philosophies are born out of hours of meditation and reflection only. Ancient scholars imparted and multiplied knowledge through talks. The Geeta was born out of smooth, eloquent talk of Krishna to Arjun. Budhha got his knowledge through secret meditation but it got recognition when he talked to thousands of people, and later thousands of his followers transmitted it through talks to succeeding generations. So, needless to say, talking is the best way of producing and preserving knowledge. Then why not let the world of knowledge enrich with big ideas by encouraging the people to talk? If not so great for you, those ideas may prove worthy for your fellow human beings. Why not let your patient ears benefit the world with knowledge?